Kingdom Hearts: The Ties that Bind
by Josh Blake
Summary: Shortly after Riku and Sora return to Destiny Islands things settle into a peaceful existence, which is exactly how Sora wants it. But someone is plotting, unbeknown to the 3 friends, and events are in motion which could change their lives forever.
1. Prologue

**I've never written anything in my life before so please feel free to give criticism where it is due. This is only the prologue of a fully fledged story i'm hoping to write, so without any furhter delays onto the story.**

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**Prologue**

Sora woke with a start; it was dark all around him and it took a while for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, he'd fallen asleep on the island again. Mentally chastising himself for being so lazy, he started to head back towards home......

He was suddenly reminded of his and Riku's arrival back to Destiny Islands after the defeat of Xemnas. Kairi had looked down on him with affection and proclaimed that he was _home._ After being apart for so long, that moment had seemed nothing short of magical, if it hadn't been for the fact that he was sitting in the ocean and soaking wet he probably would have thought he was dreaming.

That had been a mere two weeks ago, but he still hadn't plucked up the courage to share his true feelings with Kairi. Taking on Organisation XIII and an army of Nobodies was fine, but telling the girl he loved about the way he felt turned him into a nervous wreck.

Sora sighed as he realised that he had arrived at his front door on auto-pilot. He went inside and saw a note from his Mother stuck to the fridge telling him that there was food inside. Sora helped himself and continued with his reverie. If he never told Kairi how he felt, then maybe someone else would come along and take her away from him, that would be unthinkable. As he collapsed onto his bed he made himself a promise, tomorrow he would bare his soul, and as many people had told him, he was good at keeping his promises.

As Sora awoke he recalled the promise he'd made to himself the night before. He hastily got changed into a T-shirt and shorts, glancing at the heavy clothing he had worn over the past year during his many trials. It was a little warm for that apparel, so he left it sprawled out on the floor, as was the case with most of the clothes he owned.

He arrived at the island early, well early for Sora anyway, and before he'd gotten halfway to his usual spot.....

"Sora!" a voice exclaimed and he looked up to see Kairi sitting on a tree overlooking the waves.

Sora inwardly cart wheeled about the fact that his best friend Riku was not yet here as he made his way over to Kairi. Riku knew how Sora felt about Kairi and had told Sora shortly after their reunion with everyone back home that he would not get in the way.

"Hey Kairi, how are you?" Sora greeted as he sat down next her.

"I'm fine thanks, how are you feeling today?" she replied.

Sora almost fell off the tree because of the question and the double meaning which it held. He was starting to feel queasy and the ability to speak coherently appeared to have deserted him. All he could do was marvel at how beautiful she was, as the wind flicked her hair around.

"Actually, I've been meaning to tell you something..." this was it. But before he could continue Kairi interrupted him.

"Please tell me you're not leaving again!?" she interjected, turning to look at Sora.

It pleased Sora to see how much this thought bothered her, taking in the concerned look that was growing over her face, before continuing.

"I'm not going anywhere Kairi, I......I" oh why was this so hard, Sora thought as he looked down.

"Yes?" Kairi implored in a strange tone.

"I need to tell you how I feel," he paused for a moment looking back into her questioning eyes. "I love you Kairi, I always have and I always will!"

For what seemed like an eternity to Sora there was no noise except for the waves rolling against the shore, whilst he searched in her eyes for any response to spilling his heart.

Finally Kairi took his hand in hers and said, "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say that. I didn't think the da....."

But before she had finished her sentence Sora's lips had brushed over her own and suddenly they were kissing. Kairi ran her hands through Sora's mess of angled hair just like she had dreamed of doing. Sora pulled Kairi closer to him and deepened the kiss, enjoying the sweet taste of her lips and the softness of her touch as she caressed his face.

After a few minutes they pulled away from each other and stared in one another's eyes. Kairi moved closer to Sora and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Well... that was... err... wow!" Sora mused, glancing down sheepishly at Kairi's face.

"I love you to." Kairi responded, thinking how she had never been happier than at this moment.

Sora then said something that threw her completely. "Kai, you have to promise me something..."

"What Sora?" she replied, twisting her head to look into the deep pools of blue that were his eyes.

"If I ever upset you or you get bored of being with me, please do what's best for you, even if that means leaving me."

Having only minutes before heard that the boy she had loved for most of her life proclaim his unrequited love for her, talk of being apart was the last thing she wanted to hear.

Instead of agreeing to this request, Kairi lent in closer to Sora's face and whispered, "I don't need to agree to do something that will never happen."

And before Sora could protest, Kairi placed her lips onto his and they were kissing again, wiping his mind of any other thoughts that had been previously clouding his conscience.

As the pair were still embracing, Riku came walking over towards the unsuspecting couple. He leaped onto a branch and startled his friends who both turned round and began to blush profusely.

"Finally!" was all the boy with silver hair said, causing Sora and Kairi to both turn an even deeper shade of red.

"Uh.... well" Sora began to splutter before his best friend cut him off.

"Sora, I can't think of any two people in the world who are supposed to be together more than you and Kairi."

"Thanks Riku..." Sora and Kairi said at exactly the same time, causing the trio to burst out laughing erasing any lingering tension there had been in the air.

Sora draped an arm around Kairi's shoulder and thought to himself that maybe, after all the hardship the three friends had been through over the past couple of years, things could finally settle down.

It was a shame that someone out there was thinking the exact opposite at that precise moment in time.

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**So, what did you think? I hope to have the 1st chapter uploaded by sometime next week, but i have exams coming up so it may be later sorry. That is if you want to carry on reading.**

**Please give me your thoughts by reviewing.**

**Thanks for reading, until next time JB.**


	2. Chap 1: Eyes are a Window into the Soul

**First of all thanks to all those who viewed my first chapter and special thanks to NinjaSheik for reviewing.**

**Right, I thought I wasn't going to do anymore until next week, but I had this chapter in mind before I even knew I was going to write anything lol, so I thought I'd get it down. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer I don't own any of the characters except Serraz, he's mine so keep away Square lol. All rights to Square and Disney.**

**Chapter 1: **Eyes are a Window into the Soul

Just as Sora was day dreaming happily about the future on Destiny Islands, thousands of miles away on a different world, someone was also thinking about Sora's future, though what he had in mind was infinitely bleaker.

In a room illuminated by nothing more than a solitary bulb, struggling with its duty of keeping the darkness at bay, stood two figures. One was a man about six feet tall with shoulder length white hair. The other was marginally shorter and was much younger. The older man wore a clean cut black suit and was studying a letter in his hand, which was a checklist of allies he had decided to surround himself with.

The younger man ran his hands through his close cropped raven coloured hair impatiently.

"Why do we need those fools? We can handle that punk Sor......" but before he could he could finish he was shot down by the older man.

"Lack of preparation is exactly why my Heartless and Nobody failed in their pathetic attempts to achieve their goals. I do not need _you_ lecturing me on how we should proceed. Or did you forget who was in charge here?" and with that the older man shot a thundaga spell straight into his subordinate's midriff.

While the younger man grunted getting to his feet, the superior continued.

"The whole fate of this operation rests on the utmost care and secrecy. Barging in and taking on the key bearer and his friends hardly fits my definition of stealth."

"Sorry Master Xehanort." The apprentice grovelled.

"Think nothing of it Serraz," Xehanort replied, handing his apprentice the letter and continuing, "Make sure every name on this list is brought to me without fail and do so in the quietest manner possible. I don't want that troublesome mouse getting wind of our plans."

"It shall be done my master." Serraz said, bowing at the same time.

Serraz opened a corridor of darkness and stepped through.

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Little over a week later, and the same room was filled with five characters who were glancing balefully at one another, trying to surmise why each of them had been summoned. In the room was an insect, who had grown to about seven feet tall upon arriving in this strange world, named Hopper. What appeared to be a man dressed as a pirate, but with the face of an octopus named Davy Jones, a mercenary called Lyle Tiberius Rourke, a wolf who went by the title "The Sheriff of Nottingham" and a robot called Zurg, were the rest of assorted figures standing in the room.

Suddenly a door opened and they each glanced in that direction as a man none of them had ever seen before, flanked by the person responsible for them being there entered the room.

Each of the outsiders were nasty and egotistical creatures, but even they shrank back at the wave of evil coming from the man who had just entered.

"Welcome friends! My name is Xehanort as some of you may already know." Xehanort proclaimed holding up his hands. "Today is the beginning of what I hope will be a long and fruitful coalition between us."

Serraz smirked at the waves of fear that were coming off these pathetic creatures. They were nothing more than a means to an end to him and his master, but this facade was necessary to achieve their ambitions.

"I am here to ask a favour of you all. The rewards shall be great," Xehanort flashed a smile, "but the price of failure will be even higher!"

Davy Jones was intrigued at the mere mention of any reward, "What is it that want from me?" he ventured.

"The days of and being selfish are over Mr. Jones, if this mission is to succeed then we must all be in it together." Xehanort replied.

"Be that as it may, you still haven't answered my question _Mr. _Xehanort." The pirate returned.

"My overall aim is to open Kingdom Hearts and spread misery and darkness throughout all the worlds. But to do this I need to obtain certain people...Princesses if you will. Each of you will kidnap a specific Princess and return them to your own world until the time is right to put my plan into action. However there are forces allied against us that will know of the slightest disturbance in the worlds so timing is everything. We must strike at exactly the same time." Xehanort explained.

"I have troubles of my own and cannot afford the hassle of this project." sneered Rourke. "I see no reason why I should help you."

Xehanort clicked his fingers and a Neo Shadow sprung from the ground, its bulging yellow eyes trained on the mercenary. It began to approach him, and in a panic Rourke pulled out his pistol and began to fire at the creature.

It had absolutely no effect and just as the creature was ready to pounce, Xehanort clicked his fingers again and it disappeared.

"Would it be less hassle in your own world if I gave you an army of these creatures to command Mr. Rourke?" Xehanort said nonchalantly.

Rourke's eyes beamed greedily and he replied "Where do I sign up?"

The rest of the nefarious characters in the room were equally impressed and began to show an interest.

Serraz handed out a sheet of paper to each with seven names and a clearly defined tick next to their intended target.

"Hold on, there are seven names here." Zurg finally spoke.

Xehanort turned to him (AN: Him/It?) and said "Yes and there are seven of us in this room."

"Ah, well I didn't expect you to be getting your hands dirty as well......." Zurg responded.

Xehanort laughed, and it was a cold and evil sound.

"Of course I need to be hands on for this operation to run smoothly. Now as we all appear to be on board and you have your targets, there is one last thing for me to say. Return to your worlds and make sure you have complete control, which the Heartless will help you to obtain. Then when you are ready I will send word to begin. Good luck gentlemen."

And as he had said that five corridors of darkness opened up next to each other to transport the villains back to their original domains.

Serraz, who had been silent throughout this meeting, turned to his master as soon as the last of their allies had departed.

"Master I can't help but notice that Sora's precious _girlfriend _was not one of the marked targets. Does that mean you are going after her?" the apprentice inquired.

"No Serraz that task shall fall to you; I will be travelling to Agrabah to claim Princess Jasmine, as there is a Genie to contend with." His master replied.

Excitement and fear passed through Serraz in equal measure as the size of his task dawned on him. It would not be easy to separate Kairi from Sora and Riku.

"As much as I am honoured that you think I am up to this task Master, how will I achieve this goal with two key bearers to contend with?" Serraz questioned.

"Kairi will go with you willingly my apprentice, with a little encouragement."

And as Xehanort had finished he clicked his fingers again and a Heartless Serraz had never seen before appeared next to his Master.

"You see Serraz, I have much grander plans for Kairi than just using her to open the Door to Darkness. I want her to join our cause." Xehanort proclaimed.

"But Master, how? A Princess of Heart cannot have her heart corrupted." Serraz questioned.

The Heartless suddenly sprung to life and began to swirl until it formed an exact replica of Kairi.

"This my apprentice, is one of the rarest Heartless in the worlds, it's called a Changeling and it can imitate any shape you ask of it. It will accompany you to Destiny Island, where you will wait. The Heartless will seek out Sora and fool him into thinking it is Kairi. You see there is only one way for a Princess of Heart to be corrupted and that is to destroy true love." Xehanort explained.

"Once Kairi has seen the Heartless and Sora together she will be distraught and susceptible to any persuasion, which is where you shall make your appearance known and return Kairi to us. Her heart will be as black as mine, and as long as one of the seven Princesses is corrupted, no light shall come forth from Kingdom Hearts." Xehanort concluded.

Serraz began to laugh, and his Master joined in thinking about how many lives they would ruin.

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A year later, Sora was sitting looking up at the night sky and all the stars, thinking about the past year. Life was perfect not to put too fine a point on it, as his and Kairi's relationship had gone from strength to strength. He had even started school again at the request of his Mother.

Without thinking the Oblivion keyblade appeared in his hands. That was odd, he thought, since his return to the Island he had begun to summon his magical weapon less and less, indeed this was the first time in about a month.

It dissipated and he went back to thinking about tomorrow. It was Kairi's seventeenth Birthday and he still had no idea what to get her. Suddenly a shell washed up on the shore in the perfect shape of a heart.

**Wow that's lucky**, he thought, leaning to pick it up.

Until he could buy her a proper present this would have to do. With a cheesy grin on his face Sora made his way home.

**Tomorrow is going to be a big day,** he thought as he arrived back at his house.

Little could he have known that he was going to be right but for all the wrong reasons.

Sora woke up and checked his alarm clock, it was Ten A.M.

**Oh Crap! I was supposed to meet Kairi at Nine,** he thought rushing around getting ready.

Half an hour later after a quick shower and breakfast, he was changed and out of the door. He ran as fast as he could to the beach where they had agreed to meet. But halfway to his destination he saw Kairi coming towards him smiling.

**Phew! Doesn't look like I'm in trouble, **he thought to himself happily.

Kairi was wearing the pink dress that Sora loved so much.

"Hey Sora!" Kairi said brightly walking up to him and hugging him.

"Happy Birthday beautiful." Sora replied still holding onto her.

Something was different but he couldn't put his finger on it...... what was it? Then it hit him.

"Hey, did you change your perfume?" Sora asked, as he realised that Kairi didn't smell of vanilla as she usually did.

"Err... yeah my Mum got me something new for my Birthday, don't you like it?" She replied a little flustered and unhappily.

Sora felt terrible for making her feel this way on her Birthday, and quickly responded,

"No I don't like it... I love it, just like I love you."

Kairi giggled but didn't say anything as they made their way towards the usual spot.

Just as they were approaching Kairi turned Sora so he was facing her and began to kiss him deeply and passionately. He was a little taken a back but quickly returned the kiss and was enjoying it until.....

"SORA?!" a very familiar voice cried out sounding angry, confused and deeply hurt all at the same time.

Sora turned and saw.... No that wasn't possible, was it? Kairi was standing no more than ten feet away looking absolutely horrified.

**WHAT THE HELL,** Sora thought.

He turned to look back at the girl holding his hand and his blood ran cold in his veins. Standing next to him was an extremely pretty dark haired girl who looked nothing like Kairi and hadn't done since the moment their mouths had touched.

"Sora how could you? I thought you loved me? On my Birthday of all days?" Kairi was now openly crying her eyes out.

Sora had never felt as pained in all his life as he watched the tears flow from the girl he loved. He wanted to comfort her and stop the tears which made it look like something pure and valuable that could never be replaced was seeping out of her wide violet eyes.

"Kairi I..." he began, but he never finished.

"Save it you cheating scum, we're through!" Kairi screamed and with that she took off down the beach.

It took a moment for Sora to get his muscles moving but he began to run after Kairi, only to feel resistance. The other girl was still holding onto his hand, only she wasn't a girl any more, she was a seven foot tall Heartless with a nasty looking scythe for a left arm.

Sora summoned Oblivion and took a swipe, but his attack was blocked and the Heartless sent him sprawling into the sand. The Heartless then went on the offensive and Sora narrowly avoided being impaled by the scythe.

**Wow I'm out of practice at this!**, he thought dodging another attack.

**Regardless, I don't have time for this!** And with that he threw his keyblade which the creature blocked, only for it to reappear in his hands straight away, surprising the heartless. And before it could do anything it had a keyblade sticking out of its chest gawping as it melted away.

Sora ran as fast as he could in the direction Kairi had headed and before long he recognised a familiar sight, a corridor of darkness was open at the edge of the beach.

When Sora arrived he saw Kairi being comforted by a boy Sora had never seen before, he looked about Nineteen and everything about him made Sora think he was evil.

"Kairi, it was a trick, that girl you saw was a heartless, I thought it was you, please forgive me!" Sora pleaded.

Slowly Kairi turned around and what Sora saw shocked him to the core. Her eyes were no longer the beautiful shade of violet he loved to gaze into, they were now completely black.

"No Sora, what was a trick was you making me believe you truly loved me." The girl replied.

"Kairi I do love you, more than anything in any of the worlds! Please it was just a nasty..." Sora tried to say but before he could finish Kairi shouted.

"SHUT UP! I don't want to see your face ever again! I hate absolutely everything about you!" She was hysterical now.

Serraz had been enjoying this little show, but he knew he was on a tight schedule so he turned to Kairi and said,

"Come on Kairi, I can take you to a place where you'll never have to see that low life ever again."

Anger flared up in Sora like he'd never known before and before he knew what he was doing he was charging straight at this evil man, keyblade in hand.

But before he could get anywhere near Serraz a bolt of dark energy caught him straight in the stomach and sent him flying backwards. Kairi lowered her hand looking a little shocked, then she smiled, it wasn't the smile that Sora always loved to see, the one that could cheer him up or melt his heart at a moment's notice, no this was different. It was cruel and it spread over the rest of her face.

Serraz looked at Sora, "Pathetic!" was all he said and walked into the portal.

"Goodbye Sora!" Kairi sneered and walked after Serraz, the portal closing after she had disappeared**.**

Sora was on his knees stunned. His chest still burned from the attack, but what was more painful was the look on Kairi's face. Finally all the emotion flew out of the boy and he was crying, tears streaming down his face curling his knees up to his chest in a vain attempt to try and reduce the pain from his broken heart, which is exactly how Riku found him fifteen minutes later.

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**So, what did you think? Not a very happy chapter to say the least.**

**I probably won't update for another week or so now.**

**Please rate and review!**

**Until next time, JB.**


	3. Chapter 2: Many Meetings

**I'm back with another chapter, again earlier than expected, but that's perhaps because writing this is more fun than revising for exams.**

**Anyway, thanks so much to all the people who've read my story, and a special thank you each to Ninjasheik, janus-juan and blblblblbl for reviewing, it means so much to know that people are enjoying this.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 2: **Many Meetings

Riku glimpsed Sora curled on the floor and ran towards him.

"Sora are you okay?" Riku asked, kneeling down next to his friend.

But when he saw the state of Sora's face he knew something was terribly wrong. His eyes were red from crying and the tears were still falling down his cheeks. Riku also noticed the singed hole in Sora's shirt.

"Sora what happened?" Riku said, becoming increasingly concerned by the conspicuousness of Kairi's absence.

Sora still said nothing, as the only noise that came from the boy was the occasional sob.

"Snap out of it Sora and tell me what happened!" Riku began shaking Sora.

Finally Sora looked straight into Riku's eyes and managed to say "She's gone."

Riku was shocked "What? You mean Kairi is ....dead?"

Sora visibly flinched at the sound of the girls name and managed to shake his head indicating this wasn't the case.

Riku was puzzled and continued, "Where is she then? And who did that to you?"

Sora was gradually regaining control over himself and replied "There was a guy I've never seen before, he opened up a corridor of darkness and s-she went with him, after shooting me with some kind of spell."

Riku's mouth hung open and he was stunned into silence for a few moments until he eventually said, "How? Why?"

And so Sora recapped what had happened less than hour before, pausing as he found it difficult to say Kairi's name out load. And remembering the hurt expression on her face when she had seen him with that Heartless, in contrast to the look she had given him before walking into the portal, one of pure hate.

"We have to contact King Mickey immediately; he gave us those stones which enable us to contact him using our thoughts. He said to only use them in an emergency; well I'm pretty sure this qualifies." Riku exclaimed getting to his feet.

"Okay." Was all Sora could muster in response, slowly standing up and brushing the sand off himself with his hands.

Riku glanced at his friend with a worried expression on his face. He'd never seen Sora so dejected before, it looked as though all of the happiness had been sucked out him. Riku had even preferred it when he was crying, at least he was showing some emotion, now he looked like an empty shell.

Both of them set off towards Riku's house and when they arrived they went straight upstairs and into Riku's bedroom.

Sora almost smiled seeing his oldest friend's bedroom, before current events caught up with again and the feeling passed. Though they had been friends for as long as Sora could remember, they were complete opposites. His room always looked like a hurricane had occurred, whereas everything was in precise order in the other boy's room.

Riku had been thinking about this on the journey back from the beach, because although his house was a little further away than Sora's, the time would be more than made up while they searched through the chaos in Sora's room looking for the stone King Mickey had provided for him.

He walked over to a desk with a small chest on top and when he opened it he pulled out a small granite stone which could easily fit into his enclosed hand. He had never used it before, so was slightly unsure of what would happen.

He closed his eyes, though he was not sure whether this was necessary, and thought. **King Mickey, can you hear me?**

**Riku? **The King replied his distinctive voice was as clear as if he was standing in the same room.

**Your Majesty, something extremely bad has happened here, Kairi appears to have become evil and attacked Sora before departing with an unknown person. **Riku responded.

**Oh dear! Is Sora alright? **Mickey said, sounding anxious.

**He is in the physical sense, but this has hit him hard Your Majesty, he looks... **Riku sighed as he tried to find the right words, **....broken inside.**

**Hmmm this isn't good at all, I'll send Donald and Goofy to come and pick you fellas up immediately. We can talk more when you arrive at the castle. **The mouse said.

**Ok, we'll be waiting on the beach. Goodbye Your Majesty. **Riku finished.

He carefully placed the stone back into the case and turned to face Sora who was looking completely bewildered.

"So what did the King say or think or whatever you just did?" Sora asked.

"Donald and Goofy are coming to pick us up and taking us back to Disney Castle. So if there is anything you want to pick up from your house before we leave now would be the time to go." Riku replied.

Sora arrived back at his house and told Riku he would meet him at the beach shortly. Riku didn't like the idea of leaving Sora on his own at present, but agreed to his friend's proposal and headed to the pickup point.

Sora quickly jogged up the stairs and after a few minutes of rummaging found his own stone from King Mickey, then decided to get changed into his clothes from his adventure the previous year. While he was changing he felt something dig into his leg in his shorts pocket, he pulled out the heart shaped shell he had planned on giving to Kairi. He shed a solitary tear and grasped onto the shell making another promise to himself that he would still give her the gift.

He met Riku at the designated spot and sat down. Both boys were silent, mulling over their private thoughts when the roar of an engine suddenly filled their ears and they looked up to see a Gummi Ship descending from the sky.

The ship landed and the door opened revealing Donald and Goofy. Riku stood up and moved towards the ship.

"Hiya Riku." The duck and the dog welcomed at the same time causing Goofy to hyuck and Donald to glance balefully at his companion.

"Hey guys." Riku said cheerfully, because even though it wasn't under the best circumstances, he was happy to see them both for the first time in over a year.

Sora was behind Riku, but even seeing his two friends again still couldn't put a smile on his forlorn face.

"Hi Sora." They both said, a little bit more reserved.

"Hi Donald, hi Goofy." Sora sighed walking aboard.

Donald and Goofy shared a sad glance between themselves as they knew just how much Kairi meant to Sora, and what the King had told them was extremely sad news. Without any further talk, Donald returned to the pilot's seat and took off for Disney Castle.

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Kairi stepped out into a very different room than the previous guests had been gathered to. It was a huge banquet hall with a long table in the middle of the room, and at the head of the table sat Xehanort who was still in his suit.

"Ah the guest of honour has arrived! Welcome I am Xehanort." He proclaimed, getting up from his seat and bowing with a fluidity that belied his size.

Usually this whole set of events would have taken Kairi a while to get used to, but something inside her had changed before she left Destiny Island. So she took it all in her stride and nodded in Xehanort's direction.

Not perturbed by Kairi's lack of response he continued, "I see this doesn't seem to be bothering you, considering you have been brought away from your home and your friends and _loved ones."_ He put a lot of emphasis on these last words in an attempt to provoke a reply.

"That Island was boring and as for my friends and family, I'm sure they'll cope." Kairi responded passively.

"Oh I'm not too sure about that, Sora looked like he was going to have a hard time." Serraz chuckled, speaking for the first time from a corner of the hall.

"He'd only have a hard time if we ever met again. He means nothing to me anymore." Kairi replied, her onyx coloured eyes flashing menacingly.

"Well as it is your Birthday, would you care to join us for a meal where we can discuss what the future holds in store?" Xehanort queried.

"Certainly." Kairi said.

As she moved towards the nearest seat ready to sit down Serraz was suddenly beside her pulling the chair out for her. The girl turned and looked at him properly for the first time and noticed with a surprise that he was actually extremely good looking.

"I see you've never surrounded yourself with proper gentlemen." Serraz stated while flashing a smile at Kairi.

Kairi blushed and muttered her thanks, which made Serraz's smile widen even further. As he made his way towards his own seat Xehanort looked at his apprentice reproachfully, but neither Kairi nor Serraz noticed this.

Clearing his throat Xehanort remarked, "You are more than welcome to stay here with us Kairi if you have no wish of going back."

Breaking her gaze away from Serraz's eyes, which were a deep emerald green, she replied "I think that would be a good idea for now."

"Splendid, I was hoping you would say that!" Xehanort exclaimed.

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly do you want with me?" Kairi asked.

"A reasonable question given your situation, and I will be answer in the simplest way I can. I want to open Kingdom Hearts, but I cannot do it without your help. As you may well know, your friends were involved when my Heartless tried to achieve the same goal, but he failed because of the light which came out of the Door to Darkness. However, if you are willing to join our cause then you will block out of the light allowing us to tap into power beyond your wildest dreams." Xehanort said, becoming more animated the longer his speech carried on.

Kairi mulled over what he had said, she had always been bothered that she had always been the one who got left behind, well no longer.

"When do we start?" Kairi replied.

Both Serraz and Xehanort smirked and the latter said, "Right now."

He clapped and six figures that Kairi recognised as the other Princesses of Heart were marched into the room by several Neo-Shadows.

Princess Jasmine saw Kairi and shouted, "Is Sora on his way?"

Kairi looked at Jasmine with a cruel sneer on her face and retorted, "I hope not!"

Jasmine looked stunned as she was led with the rest to the front of the huge hall. They were lined up and Xehanort rose from his chair, followed by Serraz and Kairi.

Xehanort stretched his arms out wide and proclaimed "Kingdom Hearts hear me! I offer the power of these seven hearts in return for your secrets!"

As soon as he had finished Kairi felt a tug on her heart and a huge white door appeared at the end of the hall. Unlike when it had opened for his Heartless three years previously however, no light came spilling from the door. Only darkness could be seen, and as he realised his plan had worked, Xehanort began to laugh maniacally.

"Take them away!" he roared at the Heartless restraining the prisoners.

He turned to Kairi and Serraz, "It will take some time for me to unlock the secrets of how to harness this power, but rest assured once I do we will be unstoppable. Not even that infernal mouse and his do-gooder friends will be a threat." He said gleefully.

"Until then please feel free to make yourself at home Kairi." And Xehanort turned back to face the door.

"Come on I'll give you a tour." Serraz said offering his hand to Kairi.

He grinned as she accepted the invitation and they disappeared off into a corridor.

* * *

"And that's everything Your Majesty." Sora shivered though he didn't know why as it was beautiful weather as usual at Disney Castle.

He had recounted everything that had occurred mere hours before, including kissing a Heartless which he had grimaced about for two reasons, one it was sick and the hurt he had caused......

**Stop it!** He chided himself for almost thinking her name. He refused to break down and cry in front of the King.

A concerned look covered the features of the mouse as he pondered everything he had just heard. Never before had he heard of a Princess of Heart turning evil and he didn't know what that meant for the future.

"Well if all of the Princesses are unaccounted for that only points to one plan, opening Kingdom Hearts." Riku exclaimed.

"Surely you have some idea of who could be behind this Your Majesty?" He continued.

Mickey was about to respond, but never got the chance as Chip and Dale came scampering round the corner.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" they chimed together sliding to a halt.

"What is it?" the King replied

"We just detected a massive energy surge!" Chip exclaimed.

"Off the charts, massive!" Dale backed up his friend.

"I think we may have just been handed a bit of a lead fellas. Something that big can only mean one thing, someone has opened Kingdom Hearts." The King said.

"And if it's been opened that means K-Kairi has to be there." Sora whispered, creating two opposite feelings fighting inside himself, longing to get here back and fear of seeing that other face again. It had haunted him every time he had closed his eyes over the past couple of hours.

"Did you get a lock on the signal?" the King inquired.

"Yep!" Chip started.

"We sure did!"Dale finished.

"Good! Donald go and get the Gummi Ship ready for takeoff. Chip and Dale go and contact Merlin and ask him to tell Leon and the gang to get ready. I have a feeling we're gonna need all the help we can get for this." The King ordered.

There was a resounding "Yes Sir!" from those assigned tasks, then a flurry of activity as bodies flew off to complete their tasks.

Riku walked over and placed a hand on Sora's shoulder, "Hey are you okay?" he knew it was a stupid question but he felt terrible seeing Sora like this.

"Not really." Sora managed to respond.

"We'll get her back, don't worry." Riku said with more confidence than he felt.

"Yeah, thanks Riku." Sora replied, but still without a hint of happiness in his being.

**Wherever you are Kairi, I'm on my way. **Sora thought, walking off towards the Gummi Ship.

* * *

**It was a bit of a slow chapter sorry, but necessary for the story.**

**Bit of a cliffhanger but don't worry I should have the next chapter up by Friday tp put your minds at rest.**

**Thanks again for reading, now if you would be so kind as to review and tell me what you think or spot any mistakes I may have made.**

**Until next time, JB.**


	4. Chapter 3: A Change of Heart

**So, I'm a little late if you're in the UK, but on time still in America. Time difference, gotta love it ;)**

**I do not own any of the characters, except for Serraz, the rest belong to Disney and Sqaure Enix.**

**Thanks to all those who read my last chapter and to my reviewers.**

**So without further adieu, enjoy chapter 3!**

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Chapter 3:

A Change of Heart

Little over half an hour later, the Gummi Ship took off again heading towards Radiant Garden to pick up the rest of the group heading towards the mysterious world. Riku had proclaimed that it was a rescue team for Kairi, but King Mickey had reservations about that.

He was still mulling over what he had been told and trying to come up with an explanation about why Kairi appeared to have turned to the Darkness; so far he had come up with nothing.

Sora was sitting in a corner of the ship rolling the shell between his fingers whilst thinking about what he could say to convince Kairi if he met her. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her because of his stupidity. How could he have been fooled into thinking that a Heartless was Kairi?

As he was lost in his thoughts he didn't notice King Mickey approaching until he was sat beside the boy.

"Sora what's that you're holding?" the King inquired noticing the object in Sora's hands.

"Oh it's a shell I found on the beach the night before........ the night before Kairi's birthday. I was going to give it to her, just as something small until I thought of something better." Sora responded, a pained expression growing over his face.

"The smallest things can sometimes mean the most. I'm sure she'll love it because it's from you." The King replied.

"What if I don't get the chance to give it to her? What if we get there and she's hurt or doesn't want to come back with us?" the words tumbled out of Sora and part of him felt happy to be releasing the fears he had been holding up inside himself since they had set off.

"Sora, Kairi loves you and I'm sure it was just the shock that made her act the way she did on the beach. When you get the chance to properly explain to her what happened I know you'll put this behind you and move on together." The King offered.

"Thanks Your Majesty." Sora said, a little more animatedly.

The mouse nodded and moved back to the front of the ship, hating himself inside for getting Sora's hopes up. For he too harboured the same fears as the boy, but he could not stand to see Sora so downbeat. He hoped for everyone's sake that his optimism would be rewarded.

* * *

Serraz was in a large room surrounded by Heartless practising his combat skills when he heard the large door behind him groan as someone opened it. He quickly dispatched the creatures with a broad horizontal slash and turned expecting to see Master Xehanort.

However, it was Kairi who stood in the doorway with a surprised look on her face.

"You have a keyblade?" she asked in a curious tone.

"Of course, it was the reason why my Master chose me to be his apprentice. Are you surprised because I don't hold the same morals as your friends?" Serraz snorted at his own question.

"Just because you do not follow the light doesn't mean the keyblade won't recognise a strong Heart and bestow itself upon the person." He explained.

"Oh." Was all the girl could manage in response. It seemed all she had thought she knew had changed in such a short space of time, though, she realised, this did not bother her at all.

She smiled and stepped towards him, "Back on the beach what was it that I used against Sora?"

"It was magic, just a different sort than you are probably used to seeing. I can teach you how to harness it and when Xehanort uncovers the secrets within the Door, your power will grow exponentially." Serraz replied.

"Hmm, ok show me then." Kairi returned.

Serraz clicked his fingers and the room was suddenly full of heartless, but Kairi was not worried like she would have been in the past, because she knew that they were on the same side now.

Walking over to Kairi he took her arm and raised it so it was pointing towards the nearest creature.

"Close your eyes and concentrate, the trick is learning to gain control over your power so it works for you, not the other way around." Serraz told her.

Kairi followed his instructions and began to feel a strange energy inside her she had never known was there. She embraced this power and opened her eyes in time to see a dark bolt of energy shoot out from her hand and vaporize the nearest Heartless.

"Not bad! If a little unrefined." Serraz taunted.

Kairi raised her eyebrows, "I bet you couldn't do any better!" she retorted.

Serraz summoned his keyblade Shadowrend, which was pure black with no light escaping its surface with vicious spikes on the end, and leaped into the air. He moved so fast that Kairi had trouble following him, and in an instant he was standing beside her again with all the Heartless in the room destroyed.

Smirking he turned to her and said "Do I gain your seal of approval?"

"Show off!" Kairi replied trying to bite back the smile that was tugging at her lips.

* * *

The Gummi Ship landed in Radiant Garden and Mickey, Riku and Sora departed to go and pick up their friends, while Donald and Goofy remained on the ship. They walked through the town and could not believe the marked contrast from when they had last left just after the Battle of a Thousand Heartless.

The place was a hub of activity, with shoppers whisking to and fro between shops which had only recently been built. However they spotted one which hadn't changed much since their absence. Scrooge McDuck's Ice Cream shop looked exactly the same as they remembered it, apart from the huge queue of people getting their Munny ready to spend.

"Well if I never! How are you lads?" Scrooge McDuck had caught sight of the companions and greeted them warmly.

"We're doing swell thanks, though not as good as you by the look of that queue!" Mickey intervened, putting up a happy facade before they had to explain about the current situation.

"Aye, I've been having a roaring trade since all that trouble a year ago! How about three on the house as a show of appreciation?" the duck replied.

Even Sora, who could still not shake out of his dark mood, looked up stunned. Had Scrooge McDuck just offered them something for free?

But sure enough, the duck returned from the back of his store with three of his famous flavoured sea-salt ice creams., and proceeded to hand them out to the friends.

"Now don't expect this star treatment every time you pop round, I'm just repaying the favour for getting rid of all those Heartless." Scrooge lectured, sounding more like his old self.

Riku had to bite his tongue for fear of laughing that Scrooge considered three ice creams an acceptable payment for all the help Sora and Mickey had given to Radiant Garden. Nonetheless he accepted the gift and they waved goodbye to the duck, continuing towards Merlin's house.

Mickey walked up to the door and knocked three times, which was met with a loud "Come in!" from within the building.

As they entered, Sora recognised all his friends, Leon, Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Cid, Aerith and Merlin, who made up the newly named Radiant Garden Peace Keeping Society.

Sora, Riku and Mickey were welcomed with a chorus of "Hellos."

"Well, are we ever gonna run into you guys when the world isn't ending or some other catastrophe?" Yuffie demanded, which caused everyone to smile except Cloud, Leon and Sora.

After a brief pause, Leon stood up from his seat in the corner and said "I think you'd better fill us in with what's been going on."

Sora sighed, he had absolutely no wish to have to retell the recent events for the third time in one day, but it looked like he didn't have a choice. He grimaced and flinched at exactly the same points of the tale as he had when he was talking to the King and Riku.

When he had finished there was a deathly silence in the room that was broken by a single sob from Aerith. Sora had to look away before his emotions got hold of him as it had become no easier to relive those memories no matter how many times he told them.

"And on top of that someone has already opened Kingdom Hearts, so we have to act a lot sooner than I would like." Mickey finished.

"It looks like we're doing this the old fashioned way then!" Cloud offered.

"And that means what exactly?" Tifa retorted.

"Going in with no idea of what we're up against with the plan of action being hit anything that has strange yellow eyes and bites!" Cloud explained.

"And when have we ever done anything differently?" Yuffie exclaimed.

"Even so, this will be extremely dangerous and if you don't wa.." Mickey started.

"Please don't insult us by trying to insinuate that we won't help! We were in on this as soon as you were!" Leon interrupted.

"Well actually, I think I might remain behind just to make sure that things carry on smoothly here." Merlin said.

"Good idea, I hadn't thought of that." Leon conceded.

"Hmph! I'll stay as well just to make sure the old timer doesn't fall asleep and allow an invasion to occur." Cid said, his remark garnering an angry look from the wizard.

"It's settled then; we go in, kill some Heartless and rescue a few Princesses! Life has been a little bit boring recently anyway!" Yuffie said with a broad grin on her face.

"When are we leaving?" Tifa asked.

"Err right now actually." Riku replied.

"What are waiting for then?" Cloud said, striding towards the door, hooking the Buster sword onto his back. Leon followed suit picking up his Gunblade and exiting after him.

"Good luck friends and try to come back in one piece." Merlin shouted after the departing group.

* * *

Within a few minutes everyone was packed aboard the Gummi Ship and Donald was preparing for takeoff.

"Is anyone else uncomfortable with a duck flying an aircraft?" Leon said whilst fastening his seatbelt as tight as it would go.

"Hey! I'm a highly qualified Gummi Pilot. I'd like to see you get us there safely." Donald issued angrily, while continuing to mutter with words like "ungrateful" being heard.

Leon was about to appease the duck by saying he was in his capable hands then stopped himself, unsure whether Donald had hands or not, and didn't want to enrage the duck further.

The ship eventually took off and everyone took a seat, awaiting their arrival on a hostile world none of them knew much about.

Sora was thinking through what he was going to say to Kairi until he felt someone's gaze on him. He turned his head and saw Aerith glancing at him with a sad expression on her face. He dropped eye contact and realised that he hadn't been doing a very good job of hiding how much all this had hurt him.

But other thoughts soon took him off this path, as he realised that his watch was still set on Destiny Island time, and that it was still Kairi's birthday. They should have been sitting on the beach next to each other, maybe holding hands, maybe even kissing..... A swell of anger began to wash over him, which he welcomed, replacing the feeling of depression. He would make the people responsible for this pay, then he would make it up to Kairi and she could have another birthday.

Before long, a beep started from the computer at the head of the ship and Mickey went to investigate.

"We're not far away now." Donald answered before the mouse could word his question.

"Do you have any idea of where we should be heading exactly, Your Majesty?" Goofy asked.

"I have no clues whatsoever Goofy." The King responded.

As they entered into the atmosphere of the world, they looked out the world but even though their altitude got lower and lower no one could see a thing because of a dense fog of cloud.

"I really hope this fog clears up or it's going to be a bit difficult to land." Donald said anxiously.

No sooner had the words escaped his beak than the ship broke through the fog and they surveyed the world below them. It was a dark and sinister place with virtually no defining features covering the pallid landscape, except for a huge castle made of completely black rock. The only light came from small windows in the castle, and the occasional lightening strike that lit up everything for a few seconds before the darkness consumed the world once again.

"I think that might be where we should be heading." Leon said sarcastically.

"Gawrsh! I think you could be right Leon." Goofy replied, the sarcasm totally lost on him.

"Try to land in a few fields just short of the castle Donald. We don't want to attract any more attention than is necessary." The King instructed.

Donald put the ship down about a mile from the castle and turned off the engine, while everyone else was preparing to depart.

"I think I'd be better off staying with the ship, I'd just get in the way in there." Aerith suggested.

"I don't like the thought of you being left all alone." Leon replied.

"Don't worry Leon; this ship comes with a state of the art defence system. No one would get in unless Aerith let them." Donald assured him.

"Okay then, I suppose it will be safer in here." Leon agreed reluctantly.

With that Sora, Riku, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Cloud, Leon, Yuffie and Tifa embarked towards the castle.

They made slow progress with everyone forming a circle to make sure they were not ambushed from any angle. But the group eventually arrived at a side entrance of the estate without a hindrance, though secretly this bothered Mickey more than if they had been attacked.

"Well this is it." Sora said, pointing his keyblade towards a door and hearing the distinct noise of a lock turning.

They entered one by one into a grand foyer with black and white tiles creating the appearance of a chessboard on the floor.

"Everyone stick together and keep your ears peeled. This has been far too easy I don't like it at all." Mickey whispered to the group.

But before anyone could take a step forwards someone started to clap coming down a spiral staircase in front of them.

"I should have known I wouldn't be allowed my peace for very long." Xehanort exclaimed.

"However, I'm surprised it took you this long too find me. You must be losing your touch _Your Majesty_!" He finished in a mocking drawl.

"Xehanort!" the mouse exclaimed.

"What, the real one?" Riku said turning to the King.

"I assure you I am very real dear boy, not the fake who controlled you so easily or the fool after a heart." Xehanort laughed menacingly.

The words were like a slap to Riku and he shouted back, "Well you know how the saying goes; three strikes and you're out!"

"Oh my, I hope your keyblade is sharper than your wit or you will be in serious trouble." Xehanort laughed at his own joke and clicked his fingers.

The room was suddenly filled with Heartless including Neo-Shadows, Large Bodies and Armoured Knights.

"Well the board appears to be set!" Xehanort proclaimed, looking down at the floor, and calling a malevolent keyblade to his hands, which was similar looking to the Kingdom Key except white and black. "I believe it's your move!"

Mickey turned to Sora and said, "Go and find Kairi, we'll hold them off as long as possible."

Sora began to protest, but instead nodded at the grim faces of his friends and set off running down an adjacent corridor.

"I was expecting so much more from the Keyblade master, but I suppose he has chosen life over death however cowardly his actions are. Alas the time for talk is over, it is now time for you to die!" and with that Xehanort and the horde of Heartless charged at the companions.

Riku barley had time to summon The Way to Dawn before he was set on by the Heartless. **Good luck Sora**, he thought as the battle commenced.

Sora heard the first sounds of the clash as he rounded the corner, then when he went into the next room he lost sound of the fight. **Where is she? **He thought, frantically launching himself from one room to the next. Finally he rounded another corner and saw a familiar girl passing into a corridor.

"Kairi wait!" he yelled chasing after her.

He came out into a corridor which was a contrast to the rest of the castle, as it was brightly lit, causing Sora to shield his eyes until they adjusted to the light. Kairi was standing at the other end of the corridor with a blank expression on her face.

He noticed that she was dressed completely different to the last time he had seen her, with a black blouse and jeans. She was staring straight at him and he could see that her eyes were still like coals, which saddened him greatly.

"Kairi I'm so sorry, I know what I did was unforgivable but you have to believe me when I say that the last thing I would ever want to do is hurt you. I love you with all my heart and nothing will ever change that. Please come back with me and we can work this out, I need you Kairi." As he was talking Sora had closed the gap between them and was now just a few strides away, pausing to see if she was going to respond.

"Please can we just forget about this?" he asked as no response was forthcoming from the girl.

Finally she nodded and his heart soared as he closed the little distance and hugged her. However, he didn't see Kairi smiling in a very strange way, so when she brought her hand to his chest he thought nothing of it. That is until Kairi released the Dark spell she had been summoning. Sora felt an intense pain as he was flung backwards into a wall, gasping for breath as he slid down the wall.

Sora got to his feet, unable to say anything because of the shock.

"You said we should just forget about the whole thing, and I agree Sora. I want to forget about the time I wasted on that back water Island with you!" Kairi spoke for the first time; a cruel edge laced her voice.

Sora began to walk towards her again, unable to comprehend what she was saying. He got halfway when the person he'd seen on the Island appeared by Kairi's side.

"Oh give it a rest; can't you see she doesn't want to be with you anymore? Let it go, it's not healthy to be this obsessed." Serraz mocked.

"What have you done to her!" Sora shouted.

"He's done nothing to me, don't blame Serraz, this is your entire fault Sora!" Kairi replied on Serraz's behalf.

"My-y fault....." Sora struggled to understand what she was saying.

"I don't think he's getting it Kairi." Serraz said exasperatedly.

"Maybe this will clear things up!" Kairi exclaimed.

Sora could only watch in horror as the girl he loved walked up to the other boy and placed her hands on his cheeks.

"N-no...." Sora whispered.

Tears welled up in his eyes and he fell to his knees as he looked on at Kairi passionately kissing Serraz. It had to be a bad dream, he'd wake up in a minute on the beach with Kairi laughing at him and calling him lazy. But he didn't wake up and he continued to watch until they broke apart.

At first even Serraz seemed shocked then a massive grin spread over his face as he turned to Sora and said, "Understand now? You had your chance and blew it!"

"I only understand one thing, I'm going to kill you whether Kairi loves me or not!" Sora replied with an emotionally fuelled voice.

And with that Oblivion was in his hands and he charged. He was ready for Kairi's attack which he deflected away and leapt at Serraz. He smiled to himself, at least he would get some solace in the other boy's death. But as he brought his blade down where Serraz had been a second before expecting to hit, his blade whistled through the air and sank into the ground. He pulled it out and spun around.

"How you managed to save the world twice is a mystery to me." Serraz goaded, as he summoned Shadowrend to his hand.

Sora wasn't even shocked that he had a keyblade; some primal instinct had taken over and all that mattered now was killing Serraz. Kairi began to lift her hand ready to fire another spell, but Serraz lifted his own hand.

"No. I'll beat him on my own." He instructed.

Before Sora had the chance to remark he was parrying a series of vicious blows from every angle. He was unable to keep his eyes trained on Serraz because of the speed of movement the other boy was using. Finally a vertical slash made contact with Sora's right arm and he screamed in pain as the blade cut a deep gash. Blood spewed from the wound and he dropped his keyblade which dissipated upon contacting with the floor.

He closed his eyes trying to block out the immense pain coming from his arm when he felt the cold blade press against his neck.

**So this is it**, he thought. Part of him welcomed the closure death would bring because his existence now ceased to mean anything to him after Kairi leaving him, and with that he passed out.

"Leave him; it will be much more painful for him to live through this than to kill him quickly." Kairi said, tugging at Serraz's arm.

Serraz complied with her request, and instead of finishing Sora off he picked him up by the scruff of the neck and dragged him down the corridor.

The battle was not going well; Riku was tired and had cuts and bruises all over his face and arms. And the rest of the group were barely holding on against the overwhelming numbers.

For what seemed like no reason to Riku, Xehanort called off his army of Heartless and turned to his right with a smirk on his face. The confused group followed his gaze until they saw what he was looking at; Serraz had arrived holding Sora's limp and blood stained form with Kairi close behind.

"Kairi...." Riku began but stopped, dumbstruck as Kairi took her place beside Xehanort.

"Maybe his decision wasn't wise after all." Xehanort mused.

"He's still alive." Mickey whispered to Riku.

Serraz proceeded to throw Sora over to his friends, and Riku rushed to pick him up.

"He won't be for much longer, and neither will any of you!" Xehanort said, concentrating on bringing together a powerful spell to fire directly at the group.

"Come on Aerith!" Leon muttered.

And just then the wall exploded to the right of the group showering them in dust, while the debris made Xehanort and his allies fall back. Where the wall had been moments earlier was now a hole with the hull of a Gummi Ship protruding from it.

"Quick everybody on board!" roared Cloud.

The bay opened up and everyone charged inside dispatching any Heartless in their way, with Riku the last on board hauling Sora with him.

"Nice timing!" Donald shouted over to Aerith, simultaneously slipping into the pilot's seat and pulling away from the building.

Serraz started after the ship, but felt an arm on his shoulder.

"They could not stop us now; imagine what it will be like when we achieve the true power of the Door. Let them flee like rats now, their time will come." Xehanort said.

Serraz reluctantly did as he was told and returned to see if Kairi was alright. She had been hit by a stray brick which had cut her head.

"You'll live." He said after taking one look at her and exiting the foyer.

Kairi resented his unnecessary animosity and stormed off to her room, leaving Xehanort on his own in the ruined entrance. He was in a good mood however, as the workings of three keyblade bearers and their assorted friends had not been enough to stop him. And, as he had told his impatient apprentice, there was still much more to come from the Door.

* * *

The mood aboard the Gummi Ship was not so great in comparison, with many of the passengers nursing injuries, although most were relatively minor compared with Sora. Riku dropped him straight onto a bed in the medical part of the ship where King Mickey and Aerith treated him.

"How did you manage to work the ship? And how did you know we even needed help for that matter?" Donald questioned of Aerith.

"Leon sent word through his phone and all I did was press the autopilot. I guess it was good luck for you guys that the castle was in a straight line." Aerith replied.

Mickey entered the main area of the ship and Riku immediately sprang to his feet.

"How is he?" he asked, his voice full of worry.

"He's fine; it'll leave a scar but no long term damage. No physical damage anyway." The King stated this last remark wearily.

"Your Majesty, what's happened to Kairi?" Riku asked.

"I don't know Riku, I just don't know." The mouse replied slumping down on a chair.

Sora didn't want to listen to the conversation that was going on outside, he had just woken up but already wished he was unconscious again. Anything to prevent him thinking about what had happened, but every time he closed his eyes he saw Kairi telling him it was over and kissing Serraz.

He rolled over on the bed and something sharp dug into his thigh. He put his hand into his pocket and pulled out the shell he had intended to give to Kairi. Only it had now broken directly in half down the middle as a result of the night's events. He was glad of the privacy the medical area provided him with, and as he tried to go to sleep, he thought that nothing could symbolise how he felt better than the shell. As the Gummi Ship sped back towards Disney Castle, Sora silently cried himself to sleep.

* * *

**There we go, it appears the battle lines have been drawn.**

**I hope you enjoyed it, if you did, or even if you didn't please review, or else I'll never get any better.**

**Thanks again for reading.**

**Until next time, JB.**


	5. Chapter 4: A Measure of Last Resort

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So I finally updated. Sorry it took so long, but I've had my exams over this past two weeks so I haven't had the time to do anyhting but cram :/

Ah well it's over now so the show can go on. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: I don't and sadly never will own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy or Disney so rights to their respective owners.****

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**Chapter 4: **A Measure of Last Resort

The Gummi Ship began its approach to Disney Castle, ready to land. The journey back had been a very sombre affair with hardly any conversation as each individual kept their thoughts to themselves about the events of the unsuccessful mission.

Sora had not left the medical wing of the ship; even though his physical injuries were now well on the way to being healed. He couldn't bear to go out and join the rest of his friends and deal with the inevitable glances and questions that would come his way. However, when he felt the ship begin to descend he sighed and decided it would be better to go out of his own accord than to have someone come in and get him.

Riku was sat staring out of the window when he heard a door slide open behind him. He turned and saw Sora standing in the open doorway trying to avoid eye contact with anyone. The boy looked terrible, with his usually messy hair now in an even worse state and his eyes red and swollen from crying. He watched as his friend made his way over to the vacant seat next to him and slouched down looking at the floor. Riku wasn't sure whether to engage in conversation when Sora suddenly turned to him.

"I really don't feel like repeating this to a dozen people, so if I tell you could you relay what happened to whoever asks?"

"Sure Sora. How's your arm?" Riku queried.

Sora held up his arm showing a thin white line where the gash had been before speaking.

"Did you see the guy that was helping Xehanort? Kairi kissed him in front of me and proceeded to help him attack me. She made it clear in no uncertain terms that she didn't want to see me again." He choked out the last part.

"Well it doesn't sound that different to the sorts of conversations we were having at Hollow Bastion a few years ago, and because you never gave up that all ended up ok. Kairi may not be herself at the minute, so why believe anything she says more than what I said?" Riku replied.

"But this is all my fault; she has every right to hate me." Sora whispered.

"Sora if she hates you so much why didn't she kill you there and then? I wouldn't give up just yet, we'll get her back." Riku said with a tone of finality.

Sora turned and looked out of the window at Disney Castle as Donald began the preparations for the landing. Whoever had come up with the phrase 'It's better to have loved and lost than never have loved at all' clearly hadn't done so thought Sora. But there was a faint nagging at the back of his mind that; if Kairi did hate him so much, why hadn't she killed him like Riku had said? Maybe there was some hope after all.

The ship touched down in the hangar shortly afterwards, and all of its occupants disembarked the vessel. As soon as King Mickey had climbed the staircase Queen Minnie appeared and heaved a great sigh of relief at the safe return of her husband. She was always loathed to see him leave and this time had been no different, though she knew he had a responsibilityto preserve the peace throughout the worlds.

Sora followed the King out of the Hangar into the Castle grounds, which were lit brightly by the sun, making all of the hedge sculptures seem even more impressive.

"Erm, Your Majesty, do you think I could go and get cleaned up somewhere please?" Sora inquired, wanting desperately to get out of the glaring sunlight which was the antithesis to how he was feeling.

"Okay Sora, if you head down that corridor you should come to some guest rooms, each equipped with its own private bathroom. After you're done, would you come and meet me in the throne room please." The King replied.

Sora only responded with a nod of his head and set off in the direction the King had pointed out. Riku made to follow him, but was stopped by Mickey's outstretched arm.

"Let him have some privacy, he'll come and talk to us when he's ready." He instructed.

Riku scowled but complied with the order and turned to follow the rest of the group to the throne room of Disney Castle.

* * *

Sora walked into the room taking in his surroundings; the walls were painted white with a laminate wood floor. A large double bed was at the far end of the room with an open window adjacent to it, giving a few of another section of the grounds which had a fountain in the middle of a wide lawn. It was another picturesque piece of scenery that mocked him in his dower mood, so he closed the window and curtains and sat on the soft bed.

He slipped off his jacket and inspected it, frowning at the large tear in the right arm and the burn marks around the chest; it was ruined. This made him incredibly sad as the jacket had been his favourite piece of clothing and it had been through quite a lot with him over the course of his adventures.

**Brilliant! Just another thing that I've lost over the space of the last few days! **He thought and immediately grimaced as this unintentionally made him replay those horrendous events again.

Shaking his head he stood up and walked over to the mahogany door in the other corner of the room which led to a bathroom as the King had promised. He looked in the mirror and was shocked at what he saw; his spiky hair had been matted down in places by sweat and blood and quite a lot of the latter was dried over the rest of his clothing and bare skin.

With the evidence before him in the mirror, Sora decided that a shower was the best course of action, so he took off the remainder of his clothes and stepped into the large walk in shower, closing the glass door behind him. He turned the golden dial and relaxed as the deluge of hot water poured over him, emptying his mind of any thoughts.

After about half an hour he stepped out the shower into the steam filled bathroom and began drying himself with a white linen towel. **No wonder people like to live here, this place is like a five-star hotel!** He thought as he walked back into the bedroom with the towel wrapped around him.

He was just wondering what to do about the problem of clothing, as his previous outfit was bloodied and tattered, when he noticed a large package on the bed. He surveyed the box and caught sight of a tag hanging off it.

_Dear Sora,_

_King Mickey told us about what happened to the previous outfit we fashioned for you, so we thought it would be best to make a new one._

_Sincerely, _

_Flora, Fauna and Merryweather_

Sora was surprised at the speed of which the information had been passed on and with how fast the faeries had acted. Nonetheless he was a little excited as he lifted the lid on the package and pulled out its contents.

Inside was a solid white T-Shirt with a golden crown in the same design as his necklace. There was also a black jacket, similar to his previous one, except the sleeves reached all the way down his arms with traces of gold and red spiralling up them. On the back of the jacket was a silver moon in the shape of Kingdom Hearts, with a faint blue hue around it. There was, just like his old jacket, a multitude of pockets with silver zips all over it and a hood with a golden rim around its edge. Finally, the shorts were three quarter length, reaching just below his knees and were a dark navy blue with silver and gold lines running from his pockets to the end of them.

He pulled all of his new outfit on and was pleased that it all fit and that it also seemed as comfortable as his previous one. He put on his old shoes and fingerless gloves before exiting the room and making his way to the throne room of the Castle.

As he approached the huge wooden door a small smile played across his features, remembering the absurdity of how the door worked. Knocking on the small section that actually opened he was greeted with an invitation to enter the room.

The throne room had changed since he had last been inside; for one the room was not crawling with Heartless, which was a marked improvement. There were now also several huge stained glass windows which created a kaleidoscope of colours on the floor due to the sun shining through them. There was also now a long table covered in food running along the centre of the room. All of his friends were standing in various areas around the table having their own conversations, with Riku and the King standing at the head of the table, so Sora headed towards them.

"Ah Sora I see you got the package from the three faeries, I thought you might need new attire." The King said.

"Yeah, thanks Your Majesty." Sora replied.

"Well before we start discussing more serious matters, I think we should have something to eat, I don't know about you but I've worked up quite an appetite." The King exclaimed.

Sora nodded in agreement realising just how hungry he was when he began to look at all the food that was on offer. He sat next to Riku, who had remained silent since they had met up again, but Sora didn't fail to notice the furtive glances his friend kept throwing at him when he thought Sora wasn't looking.

After everyone had eaten as much as they could, the King stood up and announced,

"I would like to talk to Sora in private. Donald and Goofy would you kindly show the rest of our guests their rooms for the duration of their stay."

"Of course Your Majesty." They both exclaimed.

Cloud, Leon, Aerith, Tifa and Yuffie made their way towards the door following the Knight and magician. However Riku remained at Sora's side with a worried look on his face.

"Please Your Majesty I'd like to stay and hear what you have to say." Riku expressed.

"I'm sorry Riku, but what I have to say, Sora needs to hear alone. I'm sure he will relay the conversation to you later on, but at present I need it to be this way." The King said in an apologetic tone.

"It's okay Riku; I'll come and find you when we're done here. I'll be fine." Sora professed.

Grudgingly, Riku turned and followed the rest of the group through the door to find his room.

"Okay Your Majesty, what's so important that you had to send everyone else away to tell me about it?" Sora questioned.

"You might want to sit down Sora." The King suggested, purposefully avoiding eyes contact with the boy.

"I've been doing some research since you contacted me about the events on Destiny Island, and I'm afraid what I found isn't particularly good news. You see, I had never heard of a Princess of Heart surrendering to the Darkness, and upon inspection of the records here in the Castle, it seems this is indeed the first case of it happening." The mouse continued.

"I don't think that's terrible news, it just means we don't have anything to use for getting Kairi back." Sora replied, in slightly better spirits than when they had landed, mainly down to the shower and food.

"Well I'm afraid that isn't everything. As you know, you need all seven Princesses to open Kingdom Hearts. But as Xehanort's Heartless found out, opening it didn't guarantee the ability to wield its power due to the light which came forth. However, this was only the case because all of the Princess's Hearts were still untainted by Darkness." The King explained.

"So what you're saying is that because Kairi has been swayed by the Darkness, there is no light in Kingdom Hearts. That explains how Xehanort was able to harness some of its power?" Sora finished.

"Precisely. Now our main goal should be closing Kingdom Hearts, but this can only be done with the help of the seven Princesses. Unfortunately Xehanort has scattered several of them across the worlds and put them under the protection of several of his minions. We have learnt the whereabouts of them, so I need you to go to these worlds and bring the Princesses back safely." The King instructed.

"Hold on, you said we needed all seven. What about Kairi?" Sora said, feeling uneasy.

"If she refuses to see reason, then I'm afraid the only other option we have is to remove her as a Princess of Heart, by capturing her Heart so it can be used to help us close Kingdom Hearts." The King replied.

Sora, who had ignored the King's request to sit down, now slumped into an empty chair by the table.

"It...It won't come to that. She'll come back to me. I couldn't do that, I'm sorry." Sora said stunned.

The King nodded solemnly, "I certainly hope it won't come to that, but as a matter of last resort I want you to have this."And with that he pulled a Keychain out of his pocket with a solid golden Heart at the end of it.

"This Keychain makes the Keyblade, Heart of Destiny; it is the twin of the one you used on yourself in Hollow Bastion when you removed both yours and Kairi's Hearts." Mickey finished, placing the Keychain into Sora's open hand.

"So your grand plan is to turn the only girl I will ever love into a Heartless?" Sora responded, angry and exasperated at the same time.

"As I said, our main objective is ensuring the safety of the worlds, and if it comes to that then I'm afraid we have no choice." The King replied morosely.

"And as I said, it won't come to that! Kairi will come back to me." Sora shouted.

"I certainly hope you're right. You, Donald and Goofy will be leaving for your first destination tomorrow, so I suggest you go and get some rest." The King finished.

Sora nodded curtly and turned stalking off in the direction of the door, the Keychain the King had given him weighing heavily in his pocket.

* * *

Riku was lying on the bed in the room he had been given thinking about nothing in particular when the door slammed open and an enraged Sora marched inside.

After Sora had replayed his conversation with the King to his friend, silence descended in the room while Riku processed what he had been told.

"But this is only a measure of last resort right? I mean, you can't give up trying to bring her back that easily." Riku finally spoke.

"Of course not! But the way _he_ explained it made it sound like we were already at that particular cross road." Sora snapped back.

"Well I don't see the problem then, I have complete faith in the fact that you can bring Kairi back." Riku replied.

"Thanks Riku." Sora smiled, calming down a bit.

"I'm more worried about why the King said Donald and Goofy should go with you to rescue the other Princesses, leaving me here." Riku added.

"Maybe you should go and ask him. I gave up long ago trying to decipher any meaning behind his actions." Sora suggested.

"I think I will in the morning, but for now I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep." Riku finished leaning back on his bed.

Sora hadn't realised it was quite as late as it was, and so was surprised when he looked out of the window to see the moon and stars having replaced the sun in the sky.

"Good idea, see ya tomorrow then." He told his friend exiting the room and making his way back towards his own room.

Sora stretched out on top of the large double bed enjoying the softness of the material beneath him, and it wasn't long before he drifted off to sleep. Though it wasn't an uninterrupted night's sleep, and he was soon dreaming.

He stood on a huge circular glass pain, with a picture of the seven Princesses of Heart displayed around the circumference. He searched out the picture of Kairi and was shocked when he saw she still had deep onyx eyes even here.

He felt a presence behind him and spun around to see Kairi standing in the middle of the glass pain. He immediately began to make his way toward her, but she summoned a Dark spell and fired it at him. He summoned his Keyblade, but it wasn't Oblivion that formed in his hands. Instead a Keyblade which was similar in design to Oathkeeper,except it was completely gold and had half a heart at the head of the blade appeared in his hand.

He instantly knew this was the Keyblade Mickey had give him, but all of a sudden he couldn't control his own body and he was darting towards Kairi. He struck Kairi in the centre of her chest with the Keyblade and watched in horror as her Heart left her body. Kairi became shrouded in Darkness and when she looked at Sora she had changed again, her eyes were now bulging and yellow and her red hair had turned black. She lifted a clawed hand and just as she was about to make contact with Sora he woke with a start falling out of bed.

He wildly looked around the room still tangled in his sheets and covered in sweat, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. Slowly he stood up and checked his watch on the bedside table; it was only Three A.M so he got back into bed. As he rested his head against the pillow again he vowed tohimself that he would never let that happen to Kairi.

* * *

**I was going to carry on, but thought it might get a bit too long so decided this wasn't a bad place to stop things for now.**

**As ever please tell me what you thought and thanks for reading.**

**Until next time, JB.**


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